Gun recoil converter

ABSTRACT

A recoil converter for reducing the recoil shock of a gun by up to 95 percent is provided with a gun stock prepared to have a shorter length at its rear end by about 1 1/2″ from the intended overall length, a middle bore and two guide holes. A mixed gas chamber absorbs most of the recoil from shooting by having a hybrid tubular body of a stainless steel midsection and an aluminum head and tail sections welded together. The head section has a central hole for receiving a threaded plug to close and adjust the interior volume of the chamber under gas pressure and a side gas port for controllably injecting a predetermined amount of the mixed gas with the plug shifted behind the gas port. A plunger of the gas chamber takes the recoil into the pressurized interior volume.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gun. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved recoil converter for eliminating major recoil action in place of factory installed recoil reducers.

B. Description of the Prior Art

Factory rifles necessarily have a stock at the shooter's end. Stocks are made of solid wood, plastic or metal form to give a firm hold by the shooter at the shoulder area. Soft recoil pads or butt pad were attached to the end walls of the stock to buffer the after effect of firing the rifle with an explosive launch of a bullet. To counter the recoiling forces and find the softest way of shooting, many recoil reducers were suggested to assist the pads for absorbing the unpleasant if not unhealthy reactions at firing the guns. Different shock absorbers have been adapted to make gun buffers to reduce the felt recoil. Some of them came in the form of a hydraulic cylindrical recoil buffer that looks like a miniaturized door buffer used for various applications. Others include a recoil tube with a mechanical steel spring inside.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,222 to Hoge describes three pistons with a middle gas chamber. It has mounting screws that are co-axial to the piston rod. It also has a chamber stock attachment plate and a gas for shock absorption. The side pistons function as stabilizing guide.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,964,649 to Stetson provides a middle compression area that is backed up by a spring. It also has two side stabilizing guides and a backing plate.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a device to convert the felt recoil of the hard-hitting factory recoil systems into a negligibly mild, soft, and comfortable tap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Sportsmen and any other persons who are respectable and ethical shooters can receive the benefit of the inventive recoil converter incorporated into the existing guns and rifles. In the center of the recoil converter is a gas-operated chamber that is activated by the firing of the shotgun or the rifle. The converter also incorporates one and one half inches of controlled travel while not affecting the performance or the accuracy of the shotgun or rifle.

The claimed recoil reduction by the recoil systems in practice on the current market is at best 50% indicating an elimination of the recoil has been impossible simply by mental trials with better looking designs but extensive performance tests to reach the ultimate combination of material, mechanics and dimension. The present invention now introduces such a recoil device to convert the guns in existence to provide a felt recoil reduction by an unprecedented 95% in the field. The 95% reduction means a pleasant shoulder tab replaces the recoil pain. For a lot of individuals with shoulder impairment, regaining the ability to hold guns in need may be important to have confidence in life. Also attained is a leap in the performance of each individual's own best gun. The recoil converter of the present invention permits longer practice in the field, improves the qualities of the outdoor activity with gun for hunting or simply sharpening one's shooting skills.

The recoil converter of the present invention is constructed from a lightweight aerospace plastic, a durable aluminum chamber and stainless steel guide rods. The gas filled chamber reacts to the firing of the weapon by transforming the force into a graduated reduction by using the travel incorporated into the converter.

According to the present invention, a recoil converter for reducing the recoil shock of a gun by 95 percent comprises a gun stock having generally oval cross sections of varying areas and its length shorter at its rear edge by about 1 ½″ from the intended overall length; a middle bore having a diameter on the order of 1″ extending about 4 ⅛″ deep; two guide holes positioned at both sides of and in line with the middle bore each having a diameter of ⅜″ extending about 2 ½″ deep; a mixed gas chamber having a hybrid tubular body of a stainless steel midsection and an aluminum head and tail sections welded together, the midsection having a majority of eccentric inner tubular wall with reference to the exterior wall of the gas chamber and a short concentric tubular wall with a stepped transition between them, the head section having a large central threaded through hole for receiving a threaded plug to close and adjust the interior volume under gas pressure in the gas chamber and a side gas port formed through the head section into the central through hole for controllably injecting a predetermined amount of the mixed gas with the plug shifted behind the gas port, the gas chamber having a plunger including a translating shaft passing through a bushing mounted inside of the tail section of the gas chamber and terminating at an outer end with an internally threaded bore and at the opposite end with an internal shaft for mounting a seal assembly consisting of at least two cup seals and at least a double quad seal for a pressurized translation through compression and expansion of the interior volume of the chamber by the seal assembly in response to the recoil shock and the tail section having an outwardly threaded mounting end; a main plate made of an aerospace grade plastic material machined to fit onto the end of the stock having a middle chamber mounting bore with a larger concentric nut relief for receiving the tail section of the gas chamber to fasten it with a hex jam nut and two guide holes positioned at both sides of and in line with the middle mounting bore corresponding in diameter and position to the respective guide holes of the stock so that upon fastening the main plate to the stock using two peripheral long screws the chamber body penetrates into the 1″ middle bore and the outer shaft extending rearward from the surface of the main plate; a shoulder attachment plate made similar to the main plate in material and shape having two stabilizer guides mounted by forward driven screws at the corresponding positions to the guide holes, the shoulder plate also having a middle shaft screw for operatively connecting the shoulder plate to the shaft of the gas chamber with 1 ½″ of distance to travel against the main plate and two peripheral screws backward driven to extend rearward of the shoulder plate; and a soft shoulder pad bearing against the shoulder of a shooter and shaped to fit the sides of the shoulder plate and fastened thereto by the backward driven peripheral screws of the shoulder plate.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a recoil converter installed in a stock of a rifle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the recoil converter of FIG. 1 to show the respective components more clearly.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of gas-operated chamber of the recoil converter of FIG. 1 detailing the structure and proportion of the internal parts thereof.

Similar reference numbers denote corresponding features throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 1, a recoil converter 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is adapted to replace an old recoil reducer or butt pad or any other gadgets mounted earlier but are short of providing a major reduction in the recoil shocks of a stock 12 at the rear end of a gun 14 that may be of any sizes and types involving a shoulder supported firing. The recoil converter 10 is shown in the drawing at rest before a recoiling travel that equals one and a half inches of controlled movement. The details for making the recoil converter is as follows.

First, the recoil converter 10 is 11.4 oz in weight including a gas chamber 16 in the center and two side stabilizer guides 18, all of which extend through a chamber/stock attachment plate 20. The stabilizer guides 18 are made of 303 stainless steel into cylindrical rods each having a round tip and a flat rear end for the purposes as described below.

The chamber/stock plate or main plate 20 is a solid structure made of one of aerospace grade plastics. Such a blank plate in a rectangular shape dimensioned 5 ½″×2″×0.375″ may be initially prepared so that it extends over most stock butts. The blank plate 20 after boring the required mounting holes weighs 2.8 oz. As better shown in FIG. 2, the main plate 20 is then shaped into an oval disc having a chamber mount bore 22 and a larger concentric nut relief 24 in the center sized to receive a hex jam nut 26 for fastening the chamber 16 onto the main plate 20 and two guide holes 28 for accepting the stabilizer guides 18. Also drilled at the longer ends of the oval main plate 20 are screw holes 30 of for two long screws 32 for permanently fastening the plate 20 to the butt area of the stock 12. The circumference of the plate 20 may be finished to conform exactly to the individual model of stock 12.

The best mode dimension of the described parts and areas in longitudinal length or diameter are as follows:

Recoil converter 10: 6 ¼″

Chamber mount bore 22: DIA. 0.650″

Guide holes 28: DIA. 0.375″

Long screw 32: DIA. 1.500″

Stabilizer guides 18: DIA. 0.375″

Jam nut 26: thread DIA. ⅝-18

Screw holes 30: DIA. 0.192″

Referring to FIG. 3, the gas chamber 16 of the recoil. converter 10 has a cylindrical body comprising a main cylinder section 34 (2.739″-DIA. 0.750″) made of 304 stainless steel, a rear cylinder section 36 (1.367″) made of 76 series high strength aluminum alloy connected in line with a rear end 38 of the main cylinder section 34 and including a threaded mounting end 40 (0.375″-thread DIA. ⅝-18), and a chamber block 42 (0.339″-DIA. 0.750″/0.625″) made of 76 series high strength aluminum alloy connected in line with a front end 44 of the main cylinder section 34 and including a side gas port 46 (DIA. ⅛″ and 0.010″) and a port plug 47 threaded centrally through the chamber block 42 for opening and closing the port 46 in case a gas filling or discharging is necessary. When the gas chamber 16 is appropriately charged, it may be sealed externally using a sealant to cover the nooks and crannies of the whole chamber block 42. At the proximal area of the threaded end 40, a thread relief 48 (0.1875″) is formed. The main cylinder section 34 has a first inner tubular wall 50 that briefly extends concentric to its outer surface near the rear end 38 and a second inner tubular wall 52 that is expanded eccentrically from the first wall 50 with a circumferential step 54 formed between the two walls 50, 52. Also, a backlash port 56 (DIA. 0.125″) is bored through the main cylinder section 34 near its junction with the rear cylinder section 36 to open a part of the inner chamber to the atmosphere.

The gas chamber 16 also has a plunger comprising a shaft 58 (DIA. 0.250″) of 304 stainless steel, which may extend externally up to 1.500″ from the threaded end 40. An internal thread 60 is formed at a rear end of the shaft 58 for mounting in the subsequent assembly of the recoil converter 20. The shaft 58 also extends internally of the rear cylinder section 36 and is sleeved by an oil impregnated sintered bronze bushing 62. Also connected integral to the front end of the shaft 58 are a retaining rod seal 64 of an enlarged diameter to limit the forward travel of the converter body sections 34, 36 relative to the shaft 58 and an internal shaft 66 of a reduced diameter extending concentrically of the shaft 58 beyond the backlash port 56 but terminating midway along the main cylinder section 34. Attached to the front end of the internal shaft 66 is a seal assembly 68 to form and maintain a pressurized room 70 in association with the chamber block 42 while the other rear side of the seal assembly 68 is open to the atmosphere through the port 56 as described above. The seal assembly 68 comprises two U-shaped cup seals one 72 having an eccentric core post 74 made of metal or plastic and threaded through the other one 76 into the front end of the internal shaft 66. In the space between the two cup seals 72, 74 a double quad seal 78 made of an elastomeric material is threaded. Quad seal 78 comprises an o-ring with an x shaped profile so that when squeezed upon installation, it seals with two small contact surfaces 80 on the top and bottom, respectively.

For the purpose of assembly, the core post 74 of the cup seal 72 is dimensioned so that upon welding the chamber sections 34, 36 and 42 together the cup seal 76, double quad seal 78 and cup seal 72 of the seal assembly 68 may be orderly introduced into the internal chamber 16 space through the chamber block 42 before placing the port plug 47. By this sequence of assembly, the gas chamber 16 may be free of possible heat damage to the elastic seal assembly 68 due to the high welding temperature for making the metallic chamber sections. The gas chamber 16 is charged with mixed gas, which is non-toxic and non-flammable. A special charger is necessary to achieve a controlled filling as will be described below. Then, the seal assembly 68 may be threaded into the internal shaft 66 followed by screwing the port plug 47. The main plate 20 is secured to the main body of gas chamber 16 using the hex jam nut 26.

Now, a quick and easy method to condition the factory stock 12 to accept the recoil converter 10 will be described. The stock 12, shown with the factory recoil pad removed, is cut approximately 1 ½″ from the original rear edge to compensate at least the distance of travel of the recoil converter 10 to cover and then carefully drilled from the new edge to have 1″ DIA. middle bore 82 extending about 4 ⅛″ deep. If the stock already has a cylindrical rear bore with 1″ diameter, it can be bored further to extend 5″. Then, two ⅜″ DIA. holes 84 are formed on both sides of the middle bore 82 with a depth of about 2 ½″.

To mount the main plate 20 on the stock 12, the old screw holes should be filled with a substance that will then allow screwing in the new long screws 32. A small wooden dowel rod (not shown) may be used for that purpose. They may be cut to size as glue is applied in the holes, into which the dowels are inserted. After the dowel is set the butt of the gun may be completely smoothed using a sanding device. Then, a template may be used for pre-drilling holes 86 for screwing in the recoil converter on the main plate 20 into the newly drilled holes 86. After installation, shots become more accurate because the shooter is more relaxed. The tendency to hold the stock tightly to manually absorb the recoil will be eliminated since only 5% of the total recoil will be left to feel. Scientific testers were used to measure the effect objectively. Because of the precut one and a half inch length, the stock 12 will have no substantial difference in length before and after the installation of recoil converter 10. After the cutting and boring, the stock 12 will replace approximately 5.8 oz of weight with the 11.4 oz of recoil converter 10 resulting in an additional weight of 5.6 oz to the gun 14.

Positioned rearward and in parallel to the main plate 20 is a shoulder attachment plate 90 made of an aero grade plastic similar to the one used for the main plate 20. The similar plastic blank plate having a rectangular shape dimensioned 5 ½″×2″×0.250″ may be initially prepared to cut into an oval shape conforming the stock 12 and main plate 20. The blank plate 90 after boring the required mounting holes weighs 2.0 oz. As better shown in FIG. 2, the shoulder plate 90 is positioned between the main plate 20 and a shoulder pad 92 to have the longitudinal shaft 58 of the gas chamber 16 transform into a latitudinal wide contoured area for effectively neutralizing most of the backward impact of the stock 12 at a gun firing. The shoulder plate 90 has multiple screw holes including a middle shaft hole 94 sized to accept an 8-32 screw 95 for fastening the shaft 58 to the shoulder plate 90 and two stabilizer holes 96, which are aligned with the stabilizer receiving holes 84 of the stock 12 and sized to receive 8-32 or 10-32 stainless steel screws 98 for fastening the flat ends of the stabilizer guides 18. The screw holes 94 and 96 have round relief areas for receiving the respective screw heads to join the opposing surfaces of the shoulder plate 90 and shoulder pad 92 over a perfect plane. Also, two threaded holes are formed close to the opposite ends of the shoulder plate 90 to accept 10-32 screws 100, which secure the shoulder plate 90 and shoulder pad 92.

The best mode dimension of the described parts and areas in longitudinal length or diameter are as follows:

Middle shaft hole 94: DIA. 0.162″

Shaft screws 95: thread DIA. 0.162″/0.600″

Stabilizer holes 96: DIA. 0.162″

Stabilizer screws 98: thread DIA. 0.162″/0.600″

Short screws 100: thread DIA. 0.162″/0.600″

With the carefully machined components as above, three main steps of assembly will complete the installation of the recoil converter 10 to the gun 14: the first subassembly of the main plate 20 and gas chamber 16 is attached by long screws 32 to the stock 12 followed by the second subassembly of shoulder plate 90 and the two stabilizer guides 18 being secured to the main plate 20 at the shaft 58 of the gas chamber 16. Thirdly, the shoulder pad 92 is secured to the shoulder plate 90 by driving two short screws 100 backward through the shoulder 90 into the shoulder pad 92.

In operation, the gunstock 12 renovated according to the present invention substantially remains the same in extension and weight as the original structure except the functional clearance of the shoulder pad 92 from the stock 12. The gun 14 made true to the specification above was tested to show the dramatic near perfection in recoil reduction.

In manufacturing the effective recoil converter, a measured gas filling into the gas chamber and testing the actual performance of the chamber are of utmost importance. To this end, the present invention uses a digital force gauge with load cell manufactured by AMETEK located in 8600 Somerset drive, Largo, Fla. 33773 and sold under the Chatillon trademark and model No. DFS-R. The Chatillon® DFS-R Series is described as supplying accurate load measurement for capacities up to 1000 lbf, 5 kN. Ideal for handheld or test stand applications, measurement accuracy is better than 0.1% full scale. A large, easy-to-read, high resolution dot matrix LCD display supports a variety of standard gauge functions including normal and peak readings, high/low limits, set points, pass/fail results, statistical results, load averaging, load comparisons, % and sharp break detection, sensor actuation and direction. Measurements are displayed in ozf, gf, lbf, kgf and N units. The DFS-R gauge is also supplied with computer software. Thus, the gas chamber 16 of the present invention may be loaded in a charging station, where the load cell of the gauge is interposed between the shaft 58 of the gas chamber 58 and a lock-and-release arm for an accurate reading of the amount of gas in terms of foot-pound as compared to conventional PSI as it is injected from a gas tank through a cylinder work into the side gas port 46 leading to the pressurized room 70 of the gas chamber 16.

To heighten the quality of the recoil converter 10, it is preferred that the gas charged chamber 16 be tested to insure the consistent recoil reduction before it is assembled into the converter product. At the next stage of chamber stroke testing, the gas chambers 16 are subjected to ten thousand simulated firings. The stroke stage may produce the actual firing of a shotgun or rifle. A particular gas chamber may pass the quality test only after this stroke stage. The tester is adapted to test ten gas chambers simultaneously incorporating an air compressor by employing a metered air plunger at the top to repetitively impact loaded gas chambers not pictured in the lower slots through the simulated main plate and shoulder plate. Each of the gas chambers may be visually checked after the operation of the tester for an insufficient extension of the shaft 58 so that the corresponding gas chamber may be taken to a troubleshooting or simply refilled with gas followed by another testing until it is in the perfect condition for installation on the customer's gun.

Tests using the same stroke tester model CPST-4743 on a simulated shooter showed that each firing with a Remington Model 870 Shotgun equipped with the inventive recoil converter 10 averaged 168 foot-pound of felt recoil.

Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the recoil converter has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims. 

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A recoil converter for reducing shotgun recoil comprising: a gun stock having generally oval cross sections of varying areas, the gun stock having a middle bore having a diameter of about 1″ extending about 4 ⅛″ deep and two guide holes positioned at both sides of and in line with the middle bore each having a diameter of ⅜″ extending about 2 ½″ deep; a mixed gas chamber having a hybrid tubular body of a stainless steel midsection and an aluminum head and tail section welded together, the aluminum head section having a large central threaded through hole for receiving a threaded plug to close and adjust an interior volume under gas pressure in the gas chamber and a side gas port formed through the head section into a central through hole for controllably injecting a predetermined amount of the mixed gas with the plug shifted behind the gas port, the gas chamber having a plunger including a translating shaft passing through a bushing mounted inside of the tail section of the gas chamber and terminating at an outer end with an internally threaded bore and at the opposite end with an internal shaft for mounting a seal assembly consisting of at least two cup seals and at least a double quad seal for a pressurized translation through compression and expansion of the interior volume of the chamber by the seal assembly in response to a recoil shock and the tail section having an outwardly threaded mounting end; a main plate shaped to fit onto the end of the stock having a middle chamber mounting bore with a concentric nut relief for receiving the tail section of the gas chamber to fasten it with a hex jam nut and two guide holes positioned at both sides of and in line with the middle mounting bore corresponding in diameter and position to the respective guide holes of the stock so that upon fastening the main plate to the stock using two peripheral long screws the chamber body penetrates into the 1″ middle bore and the outer shaft extending rearward from the surface of the main plate; a shoulder attachment plate having two stabilizer guides mounted by forward driven screws at the corresponding positions to the guide holes; a shoulder plate also having a middle shaft screw for operatively connecting the shoulder plate to the shaft of the gas chamber with 1 ½″ of distance to travel against the main plate and two peripheral screws backward driven to extend rearward of the shoulder plate; and a soft shoulder pad bearing against the shoulder of a shooter and shaped to fit the sides of the shoulder plate and fastened thereto by the backward driven peripheral screws of the shoulder plate.
 10. The recoil converter of claim 1, wherein the mixed gas chamber is subjected to a measured gas filling with the use of a digital force gauge with load cell to calibrate the actual recoil absorbency of the chamber.
 11. The recoil converter of claim 1, having a total weight of about 11.4 oz.
 12. The recoil converter of claim 1, wherein the mixed gas chamber has a diameter of about 1″ extending about 4 ⅛″ deep.
 13. The recoil converter of claim 1, wherein the midsection of the mixed gas chamber and the plunger shaft are both made of 304 stainless steel while the head section and tail section are both made of 76 series high strength aluminum alloy.
 14. A recoil converter for reducing shotgun recoil comprising: a gun stock having generally oval cross sections of varying areas, the gun stock having a middle bore having a diameter and two guide holes positioned at both sides of and in line with the middle bore; a mixed gas chamber having a hybrid tubular body of a stainless steel midsection and an aluminum head and tail sections welded together, wherein a short concentric tubular wall of the mixed gas chamber forms a stepped transition, a head section having a large central threaded through hole for receiving a threaded plug to close and adjust an interior volume under gas pressure in the mixed gas chamber and a side gas port formed through the head section into a central through hole for controllably injecting a predetermined amount of the mixed gas with the plug shifted behind the gas port, the gas chamber having a plunger including a translating shaft passing through a bushing mounted inside of the tail section of the gas chamber and terminating at an outer end with an internally threaded bore and at the opposite end with an internal shaft for mounting a seal assembly consisting of at least two cup seals for a pressurized translation through compression and expansion of the interior volume of the chamber by the seal assembly in response to a recoil shock and the tail section having an outwardly threaded mounting end; a main plate machined to fit onto the end of the stock having a middle chamber mounting bore with a concentric nut relief for receiving the tail section of the gas chamber; a shoulder attachment plate having two stabilizer guides mounted by forward driven screws at the corresponding positions to the guide holes; a shoulder plate also having a middle shaft screw for operatively connecting the shoulder plate to the shaft of the gas chamber with at least one inch of travel against the main plate and two peripheral screws backward driven to extend rearward of the shoulder plate; and a soft shoulder pad bearing against the shoulder of a shooter and shaped to fit the sides of the shoulder plate and fastened thereto by the backward driven peripheral screws of the shoulder plate.
 15. The recoil converter of claim 6, wherein the main plate is fastened with a hex nut and two guide holes are positioned at both sides of and in line with the middle mounting bore corresponding in diameter and position to respective guide holes of the stock so that upon fastening the main plate to the stock using two peripheral long screws the chamber body penetrates into the 1″ middle bore and the outer shaft extending rearward from the surface of the main plate.
 16. The recoil converter of claim 6, having a total weight of about 11.4 oz. 